swing

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(swĭng) pronunciation

v., swung (swŭng), swing·ing, swings.

v.intr.
  1. To move back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above.
  2. To hit at something with a sweeping motion of the arm: swung at the ball.
  3. To move laterally or in a curve: The car swung over to the curb.
  4. To turn in place on or as if on a hinge or pivot.
  5. To move along with an easy, swaying gait: swinging down the road.
  6. To propel oneself from one place or position to another by grasping a fixed support: swinging through the trees.
  7. To ride on a swing.
  8. To shift from one attitude, interest, condition, or emotion to another; vacillate.
  9. Slang. To be put to death by hanging.
  10. Music.
    1. To have a subtle, intuitively felt rhythm or sense of rhythm.
    2. To play with a subtle, intuitively felt sense of rhythm.
  11. Slang.
    1. To be lively, trendy, and exciting.
    2. To engage freely in promiscuous sex.
    3. To exchange sex partners. Used especially of married couples.
    4. To have a sexual orientation toward one or both sexes.
v.tr.
  1. To cause to move back and forth, as on a swing.
  2. To cause to move in a broad arc or curve: swing a bat; swung the car over.
    1. To cause to move with a sweeping motion: swinging his arms.
    2. To lift and convey with a sweeping motion: swung the cargo onto the deck.
  3. To suspend so as to sway or turn freely: swung a hammock between two trees.
    1. To suspend on hinges: swing a shutter.
    2. To cause to turn on hinges: swung the door shut.
  4. To cause to shift from one attitude, position, opinion, or condition to another.
  5. Informal.
    1. To manage or arrange successfully: swing a deal.
    2. To bring around to the desired result: swing an election.
  6. Music. To play (music) with a subtle, intuitively felt sense of rhythm.
n.
  1. The act or an instance of swinging; movement back and forth or in one particular direction.
  2. The sweep or scope of something that swings: The pendulum's swing is 12 inches.
  3. A blow or stroke executed with a sweeping motion of the arm.
  4. The manner in which one swings something, such as a bat or golf club.
  5. A shift from one attitude, position, or condition to another: a swing to conservatism.
  6. Freedom of action: The children have free swing in deciding what color to paint their room.
    1. A swaying, graceful motion: has a swing to her walk.
    2. A sweep back and forth: the swing of a bird across the sky.
  7. A course or tour that returns to the starting point: a swing across the state while campaigning.
  8. A seat suspended from above, as by ropes, on which one can ride back and forth for recreation.
  9. The normal rhythm of life or pace of activities: back in the swing.
  10. A steady, vigorous rhythm or movement, as in verse.
  11. A regular movement up or down, as in stock prices.
  12. Music.
    1. A type of popular dance music developed about 1935 and based on jazz but employing a larger band, less improvisation, and simpler harmonic and rhythmic patterns.
    2. A ballroom dance performed to this music.
    3. A subtle, intuitively felt rhythmic quality or sense of rhythm.
adj.
  1. Music. Relating to or performing swing: a swing band.
  2. Determining an outcome; decisive: the swing vote.
idiom:

in full swing

  1. At the highest level of activity or operation.

[Middle English swingen, to beat, brandish, from Old English swingan, to flog, strike, swing.]

swingy swing'y adj.

SYNONYMS   swing, oscillate, sway, rock, vibrate, fluctuate, undulate, waver. These verbs mean to move back and forth, up and down, or to and fro: Swing usually applies to arclike movement of something attached at one extremity and free at the other: The ship's lanterns swung violently in the raging storm. Oscillate literally refers to a steady back-and-forth motion, as that of a pendulum; figuratively, it denotes vacillation, as between conflicting purposes: "a king ... oscillating between fear of Rome and desire of independence" (Walter Besant). Sway suggests the movement of something unsteady, light, or flexible: "thousands of the little yellow blossoms all swaying to the light wind" (W.H. Hudson). To rock is to swing gently or rhythmically or sway or tilt violently: "The ruins of the ancient church seemed actually to rock and threaten to fall" (Sir Walter Scott). Vibrate implies quick periodic oscillations; it can also suggest trembling, pulsating, or quivering: "Music, when soft voices die,/Vibrates in the memory" (Percy Bysshe Shelley). Fluctuate implies fairly constant alternating change: "Prices fluctuated violently from the irregularity of the crops" (Lesley B. Simpson). Undulate refers to smooth wavelike movement: "gleaming seaweed that curls and undulates with the tide" (Willa Cather). Waver suggests unsteady, uncertain movement: A police officer stopped the driver who was wavering from lane to lane.



In current use the past tense and past participle of the verb are swung (He swung his leg round / The street names were swung from signs on corners), but swang will be found for the past tense in older writing:
His arms dangled rather than swang—Hilaire Belloc, 1912.

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verb

  1. To move rhythmically back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above: oscillate, sway. See move/halt, repetition.
  2. To fasten or be fastened at one point with no support from below: dangle, depend, hang, sling, suspend. See hang.
  3. To change the direction or course of: avert, deflect, deviate, divert, pivot, shift, turn, veer. See change/persist.
  4. To turn or cause to turn in place, as on a hinge or fixed point, tracing an arclike path: pivot, wheel. See move/halt.
  5. To change one's attitudes or policies, for example: vacillate, waver. See change/persist, decide/hesitate.
  6. To execute by suspending by the neck: gibbet, hang. Informal string up. See help/harm/harmless.
  7. To bring about and carry to a successful conclusion: bring off, carry out, carry through, effect, effectuate, execute, put through. See do/not do.

noun

  1. An area within which something or someone exists, acts, or has influence or power: ambit, compass, extension, extent, orbit, purview, range, reach, realm, scope, sphere, sweep. See territory.
  2. The patterned, recurring alternation of contrasting elements, such as stressed and unstressed notes in music: beat, cadence, cadency, measure, meter, rhythm. See repetition.

Idioms beginning with swing:
swing into action

In addition to the idiom beginning with swing, also see get into the swing of things; in full swing; not enough room to swing a car.


n

Definition: fluctuation
Antonyms: stability

The action of a door’s movement, usually on hinges or pivots, about a hanging stile.


sign description: One bent V-hand 'sits' on the top of a U-handshape, as both hands move back and forth.




verb
verb, Austral and NZ

1:
intr. To be executed by hanging. (1542 —) .
A. Gilbert She'd have let you swing, sugar, don't make any mistake about that (1956).

2:
to swing the gate To be the fastest shearer in a shearing shed. (1898 —) .

3:
to swing the lead Brit To malinger; to shirk one's duty. (1917 —) .
Daily Express He said he...had been 'swinging the lead' for the purpose of getting a permanent pension (1927).

4:
intr. To be lively or up to date; also, to enjoy oneself. (1957 —) .
D. Lodge Jane Austen and the Theory of Fiction. Professor Morris J. Zapp.... 'He makes Austen swing,' was one comment (1975).

5:
intr.
a:
To be promiscuous; spec. to engage in group sex, partner-swapping, etc. (1964 —) .
E. M. Brecher If only one-tenth of one percent of married couples...swing, however, the total still adds up to some 45,000 swinging American couples (1970).

b:
: to swing both ways to be bisexual. (1972 —) . noun


6:
US A worker's rest period; a shift system which incorporates such breaks; also, time off work. (1917 —) .
J. Mills I went on my swing after that (1972).



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Next:swing man, swinger, swinging
Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'swing'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to swing, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Swing.
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Woman on a swing. Side B of an Ancient Greek Attic red-figure amphora, ca. 525 BC. from Vulci, Italy. Louvre Museum, Paris.
Woman sitting on a swing. Hagia Triada, Late New Palace period (1450-1300 B.C.), Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete.

A swing is a hanging seat, usually found at playgrounds for children, a circus for acrobats, or on a porch for relaxing. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion it continues to oscillate like a pendulum until external interference or drag brings it to a halt. Swing sets are very popular with children.

On playgrounds, several swings are often suspended from the same metal or wooden frame, known as a swing set, allowing more than one child to play at a time. Such swings come in a variety of sizes and shapes. For infants and toddlers, swings with leg holes support the child in an upright position while a parent or sibling pushes the child to get a swinging motion. Some swing sets include play items other than swings, such as a rope ladder or sliding pole.

For older children, swings are sometimes made of a flexible canvas seat, of rubberized ventilated tire tread, of plastic, or of wood. A common backyard sight is a wooden plank suspended on both sides by ropes from a tree branch. Older children can go much higher, sometimes over 15 feet (5 m) above the ground. In the United States, some adults go to the extreme and compete in the NSA, "National Swing Association", where competitors reach heights over 20 feet, while leaping at the peak of their swing.

Contents

Types of swings

A tire swing

Tire swings are a form of swing made from a whole tire. These are often simply a new or used tire hanging from a tree on a rope. On commercially developed playground swingsets, oversized new tires are often reinforced with a circular metal bar to improve safety and are hung on chains from metal or wooden beams. They may hang vertically or hang flat, suspended from three or more points on one side. These flat type of swings can hold three or more children. Pumping is achieved by using one or two of the three chains attached to the swing, and two (or more) children can pump in turn. Tire swings can also be used in spinners, where the occupants use their feet to propel the tire.

Natural swings may be created by lianas (creeper plant) in a subtropical wild forest like Aokigahara forest near Mount Fuji.

Rope swings are swings created by tying one end of a length of rope to a tree branch, bridge, or other elevated structure. A knot or loop is usually put on the other end to prevent fraying and help the swinger stay on. Rope swings are often situated so that those swinging on them can let go and land in water deep enough to cushion the fall and to be swum around in.

The incorporation of a short board such as a skateboard in which the rider stands is called swing boarding. It is made safer by the use of an attached board and a harness for the rider.

Toddler swings are swings with a bucket shape with holes for the child's legs, or a half-bucket shape and a safety belt, that is intended to reduce the likelihood of a very young child from falling out.

Porch swings are a type of swinging bench primarily intended for adults. Porch swings are permanently mounted to the roof of a porch. The seat typically is large enough to seat about three people. Porch swings are an alternative to using rocking chairs or gliders outdoors.

Canopy swings are similar to porch swings, but they are hung on a separate frame and are usually portable. They derive their name from the canopy installed for sun protection.

Kiiking is a sport played in Estonia whereby players attempt to rotate 360 degrees around the spindle on a long swing made of seat and rigid steel bars in place in ropes or chains.

Hammock swings are portable bed swings made of lightweight material, often attached to a couple of trees in the backyard or to a hammock stand.

Swinging sideways

The United States Patent and Trademark Office was disparaged in 2002 for issuing a patent to a five-year-old boy who claimed to have invented swinging sideways as a new form of entertainment.[1] His father, a patent lawyer who wanted to show his son how the patent system worked, had told the boy that he could file a patent application on anything that the boy invented.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hecht, Jeff (17 April 2002). "Boy takes swing at US patents". New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2178-boy-takes-swing-at-us-patents.html. Retrieved 1 June 2011. 

External links


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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - svinge, gynge, dingle, hænge, swinge, være seksuelt frigjort
v. tr. - svinge, gynge, dingle, hænge, swinge, være seksuelt frigjort, klare, forstå, nyde
n. - gynge, sving, svingning, udsving, omsving, frihed, swingmusik
adj. - svingende, gyngende

idioms:

  • get into the swing    finde rytmen, komme i gang
  • go with a swing    der er rytme i
  • in full swing    i fuldt sving
  • swing door    svingdør
  • swing shift    aftenskifte, aftenhold
  • swings and roundabouts    gynger og karruseller

Nederlands (Dutch)
schommel, slinger, zwaai, slag, swing, schommelen, zwenken, slingeren, zwaaien, swingen, feesten

Français (French)
v. intr. - se balancer, osciller, se suspendre à, s'élancer sur, se mettre en selle, s'engager (dans), se retourner (brusquement), pivoter, lancer un coup de poing à, (fig) changer/basculer, avoir du rythme, être branché, être pendu pour (arch), (fig) faire payer à
v. tr. - balancer, poser (d'un geste vif), faire tournoyer, tourner brusquement, faire pivoter, faire basculer, faire changer d'opinion, remporter (une élection), emporter (une affaire), arranger (qch) pour (qn), s'arranger pour que (qn fasse)
n. - oscillation, balancement, swing (golf), swing (boxe), coup de poing, revirement, fluctuation, variation, saute (d'humeur), (Pol) revirement, mouvement vers, rejet (de), retour (vers), balançoire, (Mus) swing, rythme
adj. - de/du swing

idioms:

  • get into the swing of things    se mettre dans le bain
  • go with a swing    marcher du tonnerre
  • in full swing    battre son plein
  • swing door    porte battante
  • swing into action    se mettre en branle, (fig) passer à l'action
  • swing shift    roulement d'une équipe de travailleurs
  • swing the lead    tirer au flanc (fam)
  • swings and roundabouts    changements et virages/tendances
  • take a swing at    frapper (balle) avec un swing, décocher/lancer un coup de poing à

Deutsch (German)
v. - (sich) schwingen, schaukeln, schwenken, pendeln, ausschlagen, swingen
n. - Schwingen, Schwinger, Schaukel, Schaukeln, Schwingung, Ausschlag, Schwung, Swing
adj. - Swing-

idioms:

  • get into the swing of things    sich an etwas gewöhnen
  • go with a swing    schwungvoll sein
  • in full swing    in vollem Gange
  • swing door    Pendeltür
  • swing into action    einschwenken
  • swing shift    Arbeitsschicht von Nachmittag bis spät am Abend
  • swing the lead    vermeiden eine Arbeit zu machen,indem man tut als ob man krank wÄre
  • swings and roundabouts    Gewinn und Verlust wiegen sich auf
  • take a swing at    zum Schlag gegen jmdn./auf etw. (Akk) ausholen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αιωρούμαι, λικνίζω/-ομαι, ταλαντεύω/-ομαι, κρεμώ/-ιέμαι, στριφογυρίζω, παρεκκλίνω ή στρέφω απότομα, μεταστρέφω/-ομαι, αλλάζω γνώμη ή διάθεση, (καθομ.) πεθαίνω στην αγχόνη, καταφέρνω, πετυχαίνω, διασκεδάζω, καλοπερνάω, έχω έντονη ερωτική ζωή
n. - αιώρηση, ταλάντευση, κίνηση εκκρεμούς, αιώρα, κούνια, λίκνισμα, (μελωδικός) ρυθμός, έντονη δραστηριότητα ή δράση, μετάπτωση, μεταστροφή, ελευθερία δράσης, (μουσ.) σουίνγκ
adj. - ταλαντευόμενος, κρεμαστός, κουνιστός

idioms:

  • get into the swing    εξοικειώνομαι
  • go with a swing    (καθομ.) πηγαίνω ή εξελίσσομαι θαυμάσια, πάω πρίμα
  • in full swing    σε πλήρη δράση, στο φόρτε, σε πλήρη εξέλιξη
  • swing door    παλινδρομική/αμφίδρομη πόρτα
  • swing shift    (ΗΠΑ) απογευματινή βάρδια εργασίας
  • swings and roundabouts    κέρδη και χασούρες (που ισοφαρίζουν στο τέλος)

Italiano (Italian)
swing, ballare lo swing, agitarsi, voltarsi, oscillare, dondolare, essere promiscuo sessualmente, botta, mutamento, oscillazione, sterzata brusca, altalena

idioms:

  • get into the swing    entrare nell'ordine di idee
  • go with a swing    procedere a tutto vapore
  • in full swing    in piena attività
  • swing door    porta girevole
  • swing shift    turno pomeridiano
  • swings and roundabouts    il pro e il contro

Português (Portuguese)
v. - balancear
n. - balanceio (m), balanço (m)
adj. - do swing

idioms:

  • get into the swing    acostumar
  • go with a swing    dar um jeito
  • in full swing    em pleno andamento
  • swing door    porta vaivém
  • swing shift    turma noturna
  • swings and roundabouts    caminhos indiretos

Русский (Russian)
качание, колебание, изменение, размах, ритм, качели, поворот, ход, поездка, свинг, качать, забрасывать (на спину), бросаться, вертеть, вертеться, идти мерным шагом, подвешивать, парить, добиваться перелома, волновать

idioms:

  • get into the swing    включиться (в ритм работы)
  • go with a swing    успешно проходить, идти как по маслу
  • in full swing    в полном разгаре
  • swing door    вращающаяся дверь
  • swing shift    вторая смена, подменная бригада
  • swings and roundabouts    в чем-то выиграть, в чем-то проиграть

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - oscilar, girar, balancearse, ser ahorcado, dar vueltas, sonar (como una campana), vacilar, andar con aire, rítmicamente, venir, volver (a su vez)
v. tr. - balancear, hacer oscilar, hacer girar, lanzar, mecer, columpiar, suspender, colgar, manejar con éxito, hacer un éxito de
n. - baile, golpe, cachetazo, manotazo, cambio brusco, fluctuación, balanceo, oscilación, viraje, vaivén, columpio, mecedor
adj. - mecedor, oscilante, de vaivén, giratorio

idioms:

  • get into the swing of things    coger el truco a, ponerse al corriente de, adaptarse
  • go with a swing    ir sobre ruedas
  • in full swing    en plena actividad
  • swing door    puerta de batiente, puerta giratoria
  • swing into action    ponerse en marcha, empezar a ponerse por obra
  • swing shift    turno de la tarde
  • swing the lead    fingirse enfermo, eludir las obligaciones
  • swings and roundabouts    lo que se pierde acá se gana allá
  • take a swing at    pegar o intentar pegar con el puño

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - svänga, pendla, gunga, vippa, vicka, svaja, vaja, hänga, bli hängd, dansa, vara inne, behärska leda, avgöra, deviera kompassen
n. - svängning, sväng, gungning, omställning, rytm, fritt lopp, spelrum, gunga
adj. - sväng-

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
摇摆, 摇荡, 摆动, 大摇大摆地行走, 轻松地走, 挥舞, 使回转, 使旋转, 使摆动, 使转向, 摇动, 振动, 挥动, 振幅, 旋转的, 摇摆舞乐的, 悬挂的

idioms:

  • get into the swing    对...开始熟悉, 积极投入...
  • go with a swing    节奏轻快, 顺利进行
  • in full swing    活跃
  • swing door    两面皆可推拉开关的门
  • swing shift    小夜班
  • swings and roundabouts    有所得也有所失的情况

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 搖擺, 搖蕩, 擺動, 大搖大擺地行走, 輕鬆地走
v. tr. - 揮舞, 使回轉, 使旋轉, 使擺動, 使轉向
n. - 擺動, 搖動, 振動, 揮動, 振幅
adj. - 旋轉的, 搖擺舞樂的, 懸掛的

idioms:

  • get into the swing    對...開始熟悉, 積極投入...
  • go with a swing    節奏輕快, 順利進行
  • in full swing    活躍
  • swing door    兩面皆可推拉開關的門
  • swing shift    小夜班
  • swings and roundabouts    有所得也有所失的情況

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 흔들리다, 진동하다, 회전하다
v. tr. - 흔들다, 흔들거리게 하다, 휘두르다
n. - 휘두름, 진동
adj. - 스윙의, 흔들리는

idioms:

  • get into the swing    하는 일을 즐기다, 하는 일에 깊게 연관되다
  • go with a swing    잘 되어가다, (일 등이) 술술 풀리다
  • in full swing    한창, 기분이 뛸 듯이 좋아서

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 揺れる, 揺れ動く, ぐるりと回る, 弧を描いて動く, 向きを急に変える, 方向を変える, さっと動かす, 振る, 勢いよく進む, ぶらんこに乗る
n. - 振幅, 振動, ぶらんこ, ぶらんこに乗ること, 調子, 勢いのよい歩き方, 活発な動き, 大きな変動, 休憩時間, 動揺

idioms:

  • get into the swing    脂が乗ってくる, 調子を出してくる
  • go with a swing    調子よく運ぶ
  • swing door    自在ドア
  • swing shift    半夜勤, 半夜勤の労働者
  • swings and roundabouts    得のあとに損あり

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يؤرجح , يهز , يدير , يوجه , يدلي (الاسم) ارجوحه (صفه) متدل , دوار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮התנדנד, התנועע, הסתובב, נופף, צעד קלילות, טפף, רקד סווינג, ניגן סווינג, נע כמטוטלת, התנהל בקלילות ומרץ (מסיבה), נע ע"י תפיסה וניתור (כמו: מעץ לעץ), התהולל, נהנה, הוצא להורג בתלייה, התנהג בחוסר-רשמיות, ניסה להכות‬
v. tr. - ‮נדנד, נענע, הניע בתנופה, נופף, סובב, ניגן סווינג, שינה כיוון, שינ‬
n. - ‮נענוע, טלטול, התנדנדות, תנופה, טווח תנועה סיבובית, טפיפה, נדנדה, ריקוד הסווינג, שינוי, תפנית‬
adj. - ‮של נענוע או טלטול, של ריקוד הסווינג, מסוגל להכריע תוצאות של בחירות, מתוכנן לאפשר טלטול או תלייה, פועל להקלת עבודת אחרים בע‬


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